Arduin of Ivrea

Arduin of Ivrea (955-14 December 1015) was King of Italy from 1002 to 1014, succeeding Otto II of Italy and preceding Henry II of Germany.

Biography
Arduin was born in 955, the son of Count Dado of Pombia (nephew of King Berengar II of Italy). He married Bertha of Italy, daughter of Otbert II of Milan, and in 990 he took over the March of Ivrea in Piedmont after the death of Conrad of Ivrea. In 997, he was excommunicated for the murder of the Bishop of Vercelli, but the Lombards proclaimed him king of Italy in 1002. The territorial magnates of Italy supported the newly-crowned King Henry II of Germany against him, but he defeated Otto I of Carinthia at Fabrica. In March 1004, Henry himself invaded Italy at the head of a large army, and on 14 May 1004 he was crowned King of Italy at San Michele Maggiore in Pavia. Arduin retaliated by seizing Vercelli, Novara, and Como, destroying many places opposed to him. However, he was worn down by illness and died on 14 December 1015, having been deprived of his kingdom; after his death, the Margaviate of Ivrea was destroyed.